Channa Daswatte: Lunuganga – A Crucible of Architectural Experiment

Lunuganga was the ultimate architectural laboratory for the great architect Geoffrey Bawa. This tour will commence with a small exhibition of his work followed by a walk around the garden of Lunuganga. Channa Daswatte, himself a great architect, will explain how the garden may have played a role in some of the ideas embedded in Bawa’s work. This walk will also take in the iconic Ena de Silva House, one of Bawa’s finest creations – which it took the Bawa Trust over six years and LKR 30 million to relocate from its original home to the Bawa Estate. It will also include the opportunity to spend time at Saskia Pintelon’s Exhibition ‘Returning to Lunuganga”, curated by Saskia Fernando and presently on display at Lunuganga. The tour is followed by Lunuganga’s legendary rice and curry lunch.

In this fascinating foray through Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s famous cautionary tale, the Reverend Dr. Malcolm Guite – poet, scholar and priest – will ask the question of what we might learn in 2018 – two hundred years after Coleridge first published the poem under his own name – from this rollicking tale of man’s selfish and unthinking exploitation of his natural surroundings. Must wisdom bring sadness? And what may we learn about the acts of writing and storytelling, from the nature of the Mariner’s act of penance?

Books such as Sebastian Faulks’ famous trilogy The Girl at the Lion D’Or, Birdsong and Charlotte Gray have very considerably helped to ensure that the sacrifices of soldiers in the two world wars have not gone unremembered. However, as historian Shrabani Basu points out in her 2015 publication For King and Another Country; Indian Soldiers on the Western Front 2014-2018, fictional and historical representations of these conflicts have rarely drawn attention to the contribution and sacrifices of the more than one million Indian soldiers who fought in World War I – the largest force from the colonies and dominions. For King and Another Country describes the Great War through the eyes of these soldiers – many illiterate young men from remote villages who distinguished themselves with acts of great bravery. In the process she leads us to see how the War changed India and set in motion a process that would lead, ultimately, to Independence.

Shrabani Basu’sparticipation in the Festival is made possible by the generous sponsorship of Jetwing Hotels.

Sebastian Faulks’participation in the Festival is made possible by the generous sponsorship of Sri Lanka Telecom.

Bruce Wannell’s Sufism: Mystical Writings of Islam is a work close to the writer’s heart. Known as a travel writer who produced an Odyssey Guide to travel in Iran, Bruce’s reasons for travelling and living so extensively in the Middle East are perhaps less well documented. In this solo session he will share with us his passion for Persian poetry and what he has learned from it about the country in which he has travelled so extensively.

“My next book will be about Bruce Wannell.” – William Dalrymple

)Bruce Wannell’s participation in the Festival is made possible by the generous sponsorship of Sri Lanka Tourism and Promotions Bureau.)

The Galle Fort Ladies: Galle Cuisine

Learn how to cook some favourite Galle Fort dishes with the ladies of the Fort. These dishes draw on the traditions of Muslim cooking brought to Galle by the ladies’ ancestors, a cuisine that was fused with local ingredients and food. Hear about the history of the dishes. Enjoy the meal you have prepared.

In this very special session, one of the foremost actresses of her generation will explore the serious role of comedy in drama, in conversation with Irfan Hussain. An actress well known for her discipline and work ethic, Dame Maggie has portrayed an astonishing range of characters in a long career, which has seen her garner award after award. Dame Maggie will be introduced by Sallyanne Atkinson, who interviewed her on the set of ‘The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie’ exactly fifty years ago. After ‘The Lady in the Van’, ‘Downton Abbey’, ‘Harry Potter’, ‘The Exotic Marigold Hotel’ and many another, she is certainly well poised to offer us her thoughts on ‘The Serious Art of Being Funny.’

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” We were all asked this question many times during our childhood. How many of those enquiring after hopes and dreams were actually listening to children’s responses and helping them achieve these aspirations?

In these short films, young Sri Lankan filmmakers deal with the issues of stolen childhood; exploring how family and society deny children of their aspirations.

12:30 pm – 2:00 pm

The Edward Lear Prize for Poetry Award Ceremony

Participant: Poets

Location: Owl and the Pussy Cat Hotel, Thalpe

Date: Friday, Jan 26th, 2018

Duration: 1:30 hrs

Access: Free Booked Passes

Availability: 75 seats.

The Edward Lear Prize for Poetry will be given to a young poet from Sri Lanka between the ages of 18 and 30. The founders of this prize, Reita Gadkari and Shane Thantirimudalige, hope this prize, named after Edward Lear, a well-known poet, will encourage up-and-coming poets to showcase their talents and will give them recognition in the field of poetry.

In this session, two writers whose work profoundly addresses the complications of being alive – a condition we can only mend, not ultimately repair – share their experiences writing of life, labour and the heart. For both writers, language is paramount; Maylis writes in French and Ashok in English, but the work of each has been translated into the other’s language. To what extent, the session will ask, is it possible to render experiences originally shared in the language of one’s heart, in that of another? The title of Maylis’ novel comes from Chekhov’s Platanov: “Bury the dead and mend the living” so that it originates in the Russian, thus adding another complication to this linguistic conundrum. Ultimately, both readers eschew the potential limitations of translation with an economy of prose that goes straight to the heart of what it means to be a human being.

(Maylis de Kerangal’s presence at the Festival is made possible by the generous sponsorship of the Alliance Française de Kotte. Her travel is sponsored by Jet Airways.)

Shrabani Basu: The Story of Victoria and Abdul

In this solo presentation, Shrabani Basu, historian, journalist and author, will share with us the journey that led to the writing of her non-fiction work, Victoria and Abdul; The True Story of The Queen’s Closest Confidant.

The story has now been rendered a major motion picture with Dame Judi Dench in the eponymous role. Yet for over a hundred years it remained unknown, much of the evidence of the close relationship between the Queen and her munshi (teacher) as she styled Abdul, having been destroyed on her death by her son and heir King Edward.

Using the evidence of art displayed at Osborne House, in Queen Victoria’s long unopened Hindustani Journals and in letters sent by Queen Victoria to Abdul when he was on leave of absence in India, Shrabani has pieced together an extraordinary and meticulously documented account of this fascinating friendship.

(Shrabani Basu’sparticipation in the Festival is made possible by the generous sponsorship of Jetwing Hotels.)

This panel features four writers who have contributed substantially to the work of sharing literatures of one linguistic tradition with those from others.

Bruce Wannell has translated extensively from Parsi – his work has by extension been an important part of the work of William Dalrymple, for whom he has been a long-time translator.

Michael Kumpfmüller novel The Glory of Life has been translated into 25 languages and thus enjoyed worldwide exposure, so that a wide audience might share this beautiful narrative.

Laurence Boissier’s work exists in translation and she also performs spoken word poetry in dialect.

Nalin Ranasinghe is an academic who shares the works of the classics with students by virtue of translation. What are the challenges of translation? What gets lost? What is gained?

(Laurence Boissier’s travel to and presence at the Festival is made possible by the generous sponsorship of Pro Helvetia – Swiss Arts Council and the Embassy of Switzerland to Sri Lanka and the Maldives.)

(Michael Kumpfmüller’s travel to and presence at the Festival is made possible by the generous sponsorship of the Goethe-Institut.)

(Bruce Wannell’s participation in the Festival is made possible by the generous sponsorship of Sri Lanka Tourism and Promotions Bureau.)

This workshop is aimed at those with an interest in the intersection of memory, restoration and transformation.

The facilitators of this workshop both have extensive experience as curators of exhibitions aimed at preserving physical spaces with complicated histories and psychological, emotional and spiritual resonance. Those attending the workshop will learn about the ways in which archivists and curators of physical objects may use their curatorial skills to ensure that the past may both inform and transform the present.

(Calvyn Gilfellan’s travel to the Festival is courtesy of the South African High Commission in Sri Lanka.)

EVENT TICKET: Rs. 3,000

2:30 pm – 4:00 pm

Carlos Andrés Gómez: Performance Poetry

Carlos Andrés Gómez will share his experience of and expertise in Performance Poetry, allowing participants the opportunity to share the work they will do, in a short performance at the end of the session.

(Carlos Andrés Gómez’stravel is made possible by the Jerome Foundation. His presence at the Festival is made possible by the generous sponsorship of Amari Galle.)

Two contemporary poets whose work has been widely and well received will share their poetry. Afternoon Tea will be provided by the generous sponsorship of Lipton, with refreshments provided by celebrated Chef Charles Disa.

(Charles Disa’s participation in the Festival is made possible by the generous sponsorship of Unilever Foods.)

This panel brings together four speakers with a close connection to the plantation industry during the colonial era. Charles Allen is a historian whose sensitive study of Rudyard Kipling, Kipling Sahib, presents both Kipling and, by extension, the Raj era itself, in a more favourable light than is often the case in historical studies of the period. Herman Gunaratne is a planter whose time in the profession includes both the British colonial era and the present; he is also the writer of a number of books, one of which – Plantation Raj – gives the title to this session. Sallyanne Atkinson grew up in Colombo and was a student of Bishop’s College while her father worked in Colombo at a firm involved in the tea industry in the early years of Sri Lanka’s Independence. Together, these three writers will discuss their experiences of Ceylon and Sri Lanka.

What is Calcutta? Macaulay thought it “a place of mists, alligators and wild boars”. Kipling saw it as a city of dreadful night and “one of the most wicked places in the universe”. Depending on which European prognosticator one reads it’s a black hole, a leprous pit, a basket case, a marxist junk space. Writing in 1903, Lord Curzon at least spurned such millenarian metaphors only to succumb to imperial self-adulation: “Calcutta is in reality a European city set down upon Asiatic soil, and it is a monument – in my opinion one of the most striking extant monuments, for it is the second city to London in the entire British Empire – to the energy and achievements of our race.” (Sukhdev Sandhu)

When Kushanava Choudhury returned to Calcutta after graduating from Princeton, he found himself in a world his immigrant parents had abandoned, in a city built between a river and a swamp, where the moisture-drenched air swarms with mosquitos after sundown. Once the capital of the British Raj, it was subsequently India’s industrial and cultural hub. But by 2001 Calcutta was clearly past its prime. Choudhury’s return mystified his relatives, who wondered why he hadn’t moved to Delhi, Bombay or Bangalore, where consumption was conspicuous and a life of material wealth seemed assured. The Epic City is in many ways the writer’s answer to that question: a soulful, compelling portrait of the fifteen million people who still live in Calcutta, the work is a beautifully written testimony to the everyday life in Calcutta – to the shouting hawkers who overrun the footpaths, the fish-sellers squatted on bazaar floors, the politics of barricades and bus burnings and the Communist ministers who travel in motorcades. Written with humanity, wit and insight, The Epic City is an unforgettable portrait of an era, and of a city which is a world unto itself.

“A wonderful, beautifully written and even more beautifully observed love letter to Calcutta’s greatness . . . The Epic City clearly marks the arrival of a new star”. William Dalrymple, Observer

(Kushanava Choudhury’s participation in the Festival is made possible by the generous sponsorship of Sri Lanka Tourism and Promotions Bureau.)

Two hundred years after the death of Jane Austen, Laaleen Sukhera, Founder of the Jane Austen Society of Pakistan, edited a collection of short stories written by women who have lived in Pakistani society, after the style of the great detective and chronicler of human nature, Jane Austen. The title of the volume, Austenistan, means ‘the land of Austen’ and Laaleen sees modern Pakistan as just that – a world operating very much in the style of the Regency England in which Jane Austen lived and wrote. Laaleen is joined on the panel by one of the contributors to Austenistan, Gayathri Warnasuriya, a Sri Lankan health scientist presently living and working in Amman.

Performing duologues from Pride and Prejudice, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, these veteran actors explore Miss Austen’s world, from the duplicity of Wickham, to the heartfelt passion of Wentworth and Anne.

The performance will also include the delightful passage from former Festival Curator, Shyam Selvadurai’s novel Cinnamon Gardens that refers to Pride and Prejudice, by way of illustrating Sri Lanka’s own Austen legacy.

Hilali Noordeen: Innovations in Surgery

The last living Sri Lankan former President of the Oxford Union will put his considerable eloquence and powers of oratory to work sharing with us his experience of innovations in orthopaedic surgery. A Renaissance man if ever there was one, Hilali brings to his subject a very considerable knowledge of men and matters that has informed a successful career as a highly sought after spinal surgeon.

Uzman Anver: Ramparts and Bastions

An excursion conducted by Galle Fort resident Uzman Anver, who will take you on a tour of the ramparts and bastions and explain the importance of each. The ramparts and bastions, built by the Portuguese and Dutch, concentrated on securing the Fort from inland attacks but the Fort was taken over by the British from the sea.

“Like Helen Macdonald’s H is for Hawk, and Richard Mabey’s Nature Cure before it, Katharine Norbury’s The Fish Ladder is at heart an examination of the consoling effect of the natural world on human grief and torment”. With these opening lines of her Guardian review of Katharine Norbury’s beautiful memoir/travelogue The Fish Ladder, Rachel Cooke draws attention to one of the things Katharine Norbury does so beautifully for her reader by drawing attention, “her eye feasting on the landscape’ to the redemptive and instructional qualities of the natural world.

The Reverend Malcolm Guite’s fascinating study of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s wonderful cautionary tale “The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner” draws heavily and fruitfully on the landscape of the West Country. Coleridge lived in Nether Stowey and Watchet is most likely the setting of his famous narrative poem. Coleridge’s poem is clearly meant to change the way we view the world, and the natural world is central to that process.

Katharine Norbury’s participation in the Festival is made possible by the generous sponsorship of Sri Lanka Tourism and Promotions Bureau.

EVENT TICKET: Rs. 1,000

5:30 pm – 6:30 pm

2017 Fairway National Literary Awards Ceremony

Event: Award Ceremony

Location: Fairway Pavilion, Galle Fort

Date: Friday, Jan 26th, 2018

Duration: 1:00 hrs

Access:Free Booked Passes

Availability: Limited Booked Passes

For the third year, Fairway Holdings presents the Fairway National Literary Awards in all three national languages at this glittering event. Join Fairway and the Festival to celebrate Sri Lankan literature through the country’s richest literary prize, which bring exposure to not just the shortlisted writers, but to Sri Lankan Literature in general.

6:30 pm – 7:30 pm

Jaina Sanga & Kushanava Choudhury: Tourist Season

This panel brings together two Indian writers who live both in India and in the USA and invites them to explore the notion of identity explored in their work. Kushanava’s Calcutta; the Epic City has been described by William Dalrymple as a ‘love-letter’ to Calcutta; Sanga has been described as having ‘a jeweller’s eye for detail” which she uses to bring to life the connections between people and place. Both writers invite us to view place both as tourist and dweller.

Kushanava Choudhury’s participation in the Festival is made possible by the generous sponsorship of Sri Lanka Tourism and Promotions Bureau.

EVENT TICKET: Rs. 1,000

6:30 pm – 7:30 pm

Michael Roc Thomas: A Tour de Force of Magical Verse

Michael Roc-Thomas will read from and speak about his new collection of tales told in verse. ‘Seeing Better Now’ comprises fifty-six tales told in verse. Each is beautifully illustrated in full colour by two of Sri Lanka’s finest artists. Many of the stories are humorous, others doleful or bittersweet; yet others ask powerful questions and will make the reader think. All have genuine charm and originality. Poetry? No, much more fun!

Join us on an Adventure of Arrack! Author Michelle Gunawardana’s “The Adventure of Arrack” is the first Sri Lankan book to receive a prestigious Gourmand Award, when it won first place in the spirits category at the Gourmand Awards held in Yantai, China in May, 2016. Learn all about Arrack over cocktails made with Ceylon Arrack.

Dillie Keane & Carlos Andrés Gómez: Cabaret and Performance Poetry

This delightful performance will includes work from Dillie’s earliest days to her most recent songs. A hilarious, frequently ridiculous and occasionally heartbreaking account of a lifelong search for love, Dillie’s songs will make you laugh, cry and ring your best friend tomorrow for a chat.

Her songs are witty and original; they are characterised by intricate rhymes, charming tunes and the odd word or phrase that would make a sailor suck a lemon. She has been compared to Tom Lehrer, Noel Coward and Cole Porter and people usually say they feel a great deal better about life after a tonic of Finest Vintage Dillie.

Accompanist: Michael Roulston

Performance poet Carlos Andrés Gómez will also share his magical brand of performance poetry well into the early hours of the morning . . .

(Carlos Andrés Gómez’stravel is made possible by the Jerome Foundation. His presence at the Festival is made possible by the generous sponsorship of Amari Galle.)